Damaraland & Kaokoland – Finally!

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I had the second puncture on the rest day and fixed it then. @hartebees helped as he was a front wheel expert from days before.

Hardy thx for the sat phone’s use there.
 

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The rest day was supposed to be an opportunity for us to see Puros Canyon, something still on the bucket list. The good rains, however, made the canyon inaccessible for vehicles, and would have been very difficult for the bikes. To complicate matters, there was no fuel in Puros and Hennie had to drive to Fort Sesfontein to get some for the group, a 240km roundtrip that would take him the better part of the day. But even if all the stars were aligned, I was not capable of serious riding that day. Which means…, yet another reason to go again.

We set off the next day for Palmwag. It is going to be a long and challenging day in the saddle with all the different types of riding experienced up until now, thrown into one. Our first goal is Fort Sesfontein where we will refuel. This section of the route will take us through first, lots of riverbed crossings. This is followed by one of my favourite rides of the tour, a massive plain with a deep-sand road as wide as an aircraft runway, stretching on for kilometers and kilometers.

We will then encounter a hilly section with rocks. Andries and @ETS, the gentleman that they are, assisted an older French couple on this section by changing a tire for them on their disabled 4x4. They were woefully incapable of doing so on their own, and the father and son duo rose to the occasion.

At Fort Sesfontein we get proper cell phone signal for the first time in days as we refuel, everyone checks in with their loved ones. We also hit the first shop equipped with a till and which is constructed of bricks and mortar, something we haven’t seen for a while either.

Morning activities as we prepare to depart for the day:

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See you again, Puros.

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The terrain changes rapidly:

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Into the hills:

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Rehydrating in Sesfontein:

@FredK , @ETS , @NIMMO @Gerryb

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Helping the tourist's flat..... i just stood and watched(as usual) kudo's there must go to Andries, Fred and Johannes.....
 
Ek lees elke dag wat die vorige dag gepost is. Dit is 'n nice RR en die kiekies is uitstekend.

Hats off aan julle almal. 👍
 
From Sesfontein it is a hop, skip and a jump to Khowarib Lodge where we regroup before starting the next stage of the day. It doesn’t go without incident as a low water cement bridge, covered in slime, catches out one of the group’s more seasoned riders, and he has nasty slide.

There are two routes to Palmwag. The first is a 75km dash on a gravel highway that will see you get to Palmwag in no time. Some of the riders are fatigued and a few are carrying minor injuries. They very wisely opt to take this route. It was also going to be a proper challenge for the Starship Enterprise as we will be doing a long stretch in the Ombonde river before taking on a few more challenges. @Striggs therefore decides that his marriage is worth more and he has done it before, therefore also taking the gravel highway.

The second route will take us through the Khowarib Schlucht where we will first encounter some sneaky fesh-fesh pits. We will then enter the Ombonde river and ride for (if I recall correctly) 22km’s in the river before exiting onto “Klein Serengeti”. This is another wonder that is hard to describe, hopefully the photos and videos can show some of its splendour. We will then get on the Otjondeka trail which becomes very technical with sandy sections in-between the long rocky sections. At times we lose the road even though our GPS is telling us we are on it. We bundu-bash our way through.

Well, we leave Khowarib Lodge and not 20 minutes into the ride I have my second big fall of the trip. But first we hit the fesh-fesh. I get through it unscathed this time, but @NIMMO wasn’t so lucky in the fesh-fesh. I will let him share his version of events ;)

Here is @NIMMO when @hartebees came upon him, just as he got up from his spill. Great photo, @hartebees ! :cool:

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After successfully negotiating the fesh-fesh I enter a riverbed. A couple is coming through from the other side in a 4x4, and the lady is standing in the riverbed filming hubby as he negotiates the steep descent into the riverbed. I wait for him to finish his descent and as he enters the river I attempt to get out on the other side. I am not sure what exactly happened but going past the vehicle slowly and then trying to pick up speed for the ascent up the riverbank, I think I tugged on the throttle a bit too much, at the wrong time. My front wheel lifted as I went over a rock, I lost my balance, and slammed into the lefthand side of the path leading out of the river, hard. There goes mirror number one. That is, however, the least of my worries. My left foot and left hand bore the brunt of the impact. And to make it worse, I have an audience. The two flabbergasted Germans aren’t sure what to do. The woman bewilderedly asks if she can help me. Being a proud, stupid male, I pretend as if everything is fine. Just fine, with a smile. I wrestle my bike up and ride away quickly with my tail between my legs. But dammit!, I can feel my left big toe and the lefthand side of my left hand is in trouble.

Oh well, I continue the ride and enjoy riding the sand in the river immensely. I just mustn’t change gears, that left toe doesn’t like it. Luckily, you can do almost anything in third gear on an XR. :cool: I meet up with @P.K., @NIMMO, @hartebees sweeping and the Cruisers making up the rear. We take frequent breaks as we continue along the river, with nature spoiling us with her beauty.

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Toe ek om die draai kom lê @NIMMO in die een spoor en die bike in die ander spoor. Nogal met sy tone mooi gepunt in my rigting. Ek het oorweeg om ‘n foto te neem maar daarteen besluit. Kyk die verskil tussen die voor- en agterkant van die baadjie.
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Toe ek om die draai kom lê @NIMMO in die een spoor en die bike in die ander spoor. Nogal met sy tone mooi gepunt in my rigting. Ek het oorweeg om ‘n foto te neem maar daarteen besluit. Kyk die verskil tussen die voor- en agterkant van die baadjie. View attachment 776713View attachment 776714
It is what it is - kon maar geneem het. Op daai stadium het ek gedink ek kyk vorentoe. 🤣🤣 Ek wil net weer vir @Parkinoff dankie sê dat hy my in die rut ingedruk het - moes deur daai hele 50/70 - 5000 meter sukkel om uit daai bleddie fesh-fesh te kom. Die fesh is soooo fyn dat ek daar my GPS verloor het en geen roete gehad het nie, die release het afgebreek en ek kon ook nie die unit reset nie. Daai foto saam Jaco was toe ons hom weer reggekry het - ook net betyds sodat ek elke val wat gevolg het kon pin.
 
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It is what it is - kon maar geneem het. Op daai stadium het ek gedink ek kyk vorentoe. 🤣🤣 Ek wil net weer vir @Parkinoff dankie sê dat hy my in die rut ingedruk het - moes deur daai hele 50/70 - 5000 meter sukkel om uit daai bleddie fesh-fesh te kom. Die fesh is soooo fyn dat ek daar my GPS verloor het en geen roete gehad het nie, die release het afgebreek en ek kon ook nie die unit reset nie. Daai foto saam Jaco was toe ons hom weer reggekry het - ook net betyds sodat ek elke val wat gevolg het kon pin.
Jy seker dat dit ekke was? Ek onthou nie fesh-fesh nie, ek was ook waarskeinlik verdwaal. Ek het jou min gesien?
 
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